Persona 3: The Gamer
by Yu Narukaze
Summary: Persona 3: FES, with me trying to change as much as possible without changing what Persona 3 is at the core. What will change? Read to find out!
1. Day 1

**Day 1**

I sighed. "Jeez, I'm bored. Can't there be a timeskip or something?"

Maybe I should give you some background. My name is Minato Arisato. I'm sitting on a train going to Iwatodai, the place where my parents died and, more importantly (for now, at least), the location of the school I will be attending for the next year.

The train arrived at the station, allowing me to get off the train. And right when I did, the world went green. "Fan-friggin-tastic. Status. Okay, everything's at full. Inventory." I pulled out a gun.

Oh, I forgot to mention, didn't I? I have a weird ability that makes me like a video game character. I have skills, levels, an inventory... The list goes on.

"Time to get some XP."

However, I'm not allowed to use my ability if people will notice something's amiss. (If I do, a multitude of bad things can happen.) Because of that, people with powers like mine developed the ability to create "illusion barriers" which makes people not notice something's going on. We're allowed to cut loose in illusion barriers, since no one will notice anything.

When the clock strikes midnight, a sort of global illusion barrier is created. It lasts for an hour. People turn into coffins, so there's no one to see abilities being used.

"Alright. Persona!"

I have another unique ability as well. I can summon a being called a "Persona"-in essence, they're a physical representation of my mind. Having a Persona is rare in and of itself, but I'm also a Wild Card-someone able to have and use multiple Personae.

Eventually, I arrived at the dorm I would be staying in for the rest of the year. When I walked in, a little kid greeted me. "You're late." "My train was delayed." "I understand. Normally, you would be signing the Velvet Contract right now..." "But I've already signed it, so there's no need, right?"

The Velvet Room is a place only Wild Cards who have signed the Velvet Contract can enter. It's where I can fuse new Personae, as well as buy back Personae I've registered into the Compendium.

Pharos (the kid) said, "Correct. I don't suppose I need to tell you to keep your commitment, right?" "No, you don't. Anyways, see you around?" "Yep. Wanna join in on what I said in the baseline?" "Sure!" And we said together, "No one can escape time. It delivers all equally to the same end. You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes." Pharos stepped into the shadows as we finished with, "And so it begins." With that, the shadows swallowed him, leaving me alone in the lobby.

However, that was not to last. I heard a girl shout, "Who's there?!" I turned around and found a brunette girl in a pink cardigan with a gun, preparing to draw. 'Course, this wasn't a real gun (how would a schoolgirl in a dorm have a normal gun?). The gun was actually an Evoker, a device designed to artificially call out a Persona by putting the user in a stressful situation. I wasn't supposed to know that, however, so I kept quiet and readied myself as she drew.

A voice yelled "Takeba, wait!" right before the lights turned back on. The voice belonged to a redhead coming down the stairs. "I didn't think you'd arrive so late." "Blame the train schedules." "I understand. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students living in this dorm." She pointed to the brunette. "This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you." "...Hey," she greeted reluctantly. "Nice to meet you." "Uh, yeah." She laughed nervously.

"I don't blame ya for being on edge. Green Time's pretty dangerous." "Green... Time?" "Yeah, that time when everything turns green. Also could be known as Coffin Time, the Hour of the Dead, or the Dark Hour." Both girls flinched slightly when I mentioned the last name. Not surprising, considering that that's the name they know it by. "Meh, whatever. I'm goin' to bed. Where's my room?" Mitsuru recovered quickly enough to reply. "It's the last one on the second floor." I quickly proceeded up the stairs and got to my room. I got on the bed and slept pretty much immediately.

**A/N: What do you think? I actually wrote this story with people who don't understand the Persona games in mind. Therefore, expect more description than is usual. This story was actually written as a hybrid between Persona 3 and the webcomic The Gamer, so if you've ever read that, you'll be right at home here. Also, unlike my other fic (which I'm rewriting right now), there won't be loads of cursing. 'Course, this is still Persona, so I rated it T. Might boost it to M, depending on how things go. Anyway, I've written enough in this note. Bye!**


	2. Day 2

**Day 2**

I was sleeping when Yukari knocked on my door. "Coming!" I called. Before I got up, I saw that the sun was still rising.

"Hey..." I trailed off as I realized it was Mitsuru standing there, not Yukari. "I came to bring you to school," she spoke calmly. 'Well, that explains why she knocked at 5 in the damn morning.' "And to question me?" I asked sardonically. Her slight flinch told me everything. "Eh, it's fine. Lemme find my car. Inventory." I looked through the pages and eventually found the car page. I closed the screen when I realized it would probably be good to get outside before pulling it out. "Hey, Mitzy-you don't mind me calling you that, right?" Her face betrayed her annoyance. "Meh, anyway, can we go outside? I need more space to get my car." She obviously wanted to ask me how I'd get my car here, but realized I wouldn't answer anyway. Smart girl.

Once we got outside, I found the Lexus I kept in my inventory for the occasions I wanted to drive in style. (Zombie-killing = loads of cash = win.) I pulled it out and dropped it on the pavement. I turned to Mitsuru, who had her jaw uncomfortably situated on the ground. "How... What..." I shrugged. "Try handing rules a flipped bird next time. Anyway, hop in; I'm gonna take a drive around the city before the bell rings. Ask me questions then, and I'll answer what I can."

Predictably, her first question was "How do you know about the Dark Hour?" "My parents were killed in it ten years ago. The question you should be asking is about what I know, and to answer that, we'll need more time than we have. Gimme a sec."

I drove to the shrine and exited the vehicle. Once Mitsuru had gotten out, I formed a time-distortion illusion barrier around us. "There. We have around 45 hours to discuss Personae and such." She was shocked for a moment, but suspicion overtook her a moment later. "How do you know about that? For that matter, how do you know about any of this?" "You really expect me to answer that?" I asked in perfect deadpan.

"Anyway, you ever been to the Velvet Room?" I sniggered at her expression for a moment, before I got serious. "Summoning a Persona binds you to a contract. The terms are simple: you have to accept your fate as something you chose. You can't blame anyone else for what happens to you." "What about when you have no choice but to do something?" "You always have a choice. Even when you have a gun to someone's head, it's your choice to pull the trigger."

"The Velvet Room allows you to summon different Personae," I continued. "Most people have to gather Tarot Cards from demons to summon Personae. There are a few other important things, but gathering the cards is the most important." "Wait, demons?" I rolled my eyes. "Yes, demons. When the apocalypse isn't nearly upon the world, you have to go into Makai to find them. Plus, they only give out the cards to those who interest them. I find that just doing something they find entertaining over and over works best." "Why would you try and entertain demons? Aren't they-" "Any being that comes into existence due to religious worship is a demon. Not all demons are Louis' servants." "Louis?" "His full name is Louis Cyphre. Say that fast and you'll get it. But as I was saying, there are other factors to consider, but you can ask Igor about those. In fact, why don't we go introduce you?"

I deactivated my barrier and drove us to Paulownia Mall. I remembered that there was a door to the Velvet Room there. After we got into the back alley, I unlocked the door and walked her in.

"Hello, Master Minato. Is there anything you need assistance with?" stated an old gentleman with a nose longer than a lying Pinnochio. Well, maybe not THAT long, but you get the idea, "Nah, just thought introductions were in order. Kirijo-senpai, Igor. Igor, Kirijo-senpai." While Mitsuru began digging for information on summoning Personae, I decided to check in with another denizen of the Room.

"Hi, Marie!" "What?" she replied. "How's Yu doing?" "Depends. When are you talking about?" I facepalmed. "Dammit, time travel is weird." "Yu can say that again," she agreed. I stared at the fourth wall with a deadpan expression. "Is my name Yu?" DAMMIT! "Cool, glad you understand that." "Who are you talking to?" asked Marie. "Nobody important. At any rate, I think it's time for a timeskip."

**-Timeskip: After School-**

A guy with a goatee walked over to me. "'Sup?" "Who are you?" "I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya!" "Minato Arisato. What do you need, Iori-san?" I asked politely. "Nothin'. Just remembered when I transferred here back in junior high, and thought you might need some help adjusting." "I'm fine, but thanks for the offer." "Hey, want me to show you around, maybe get some dinner?" "Sure, why not." I whispered, "Author, time for a timeskip."

**-Timeskip: Evening-**

"Hello, Arisato." "Kirijo-senpai, you do know that calling someone by just their last name is offensive, right? If you insist on using my last name, at least call me Arisato-san." She looked surprised for a moment, then returned to her calm demeanor. "Understood, Arisato-san." "At any right, I'm gonna go to bed for the night. I bid you adieu."

**A/N: I'm so, so sorry! Writer's block is a fucking BITCH to writers, and it just so happens that I got a severe case of it. I've been forcing this chapter out bit by bit since the last one, but it was only tonight that I managed to finish it.**

**If you're wondering about the timeskips, I'm still having trouble writing, so I'm trying to get to the Magician Shadow quickly.**

**At any rate, now that the chapter's finally done, I'll try to get the next one out by next weekend. No guarantees, but I'll do my best.**

**Adios, amigos!**


	3. Day 3

**Day 3**

After school, me and Junpei went to the arcade. I got him to agree to a competition to see who won the most; whoever lost would pay for ramen afterwards. Surprisingly, Junpei won. While we were eating, I decided to strike up a conversation. "Damn, dude, you're a badass at the arcade." "Haha," he said, rubbing the back of his head. What he didn't know was, I had awakened his Persona earlier while we were shaking hands. Right about then was when it took effect. "What the hell...?" he muttered. "Ah, feelin' that now, are ya?" He looked up in alarm. "What do you mean?" "Remember when we shook hands? I actually gave your power a boost." "What power?" He looked a little hopeful. "Your Persona. If you want to know more, go to the back alley of Paulownia Mall. I'll be there when the night turns green." "What does that mean?" "You'll see."

When I got back to the dorm, a gray-haired man was sitting in the lounge, who introduced himself as Shuji Ikutsuki. After taking a few deep breaths, I informed him and Yukari (who was in the room) that I would be retiring for the night, and to inform Mitsuru-senpai of this development.

When the clock was 5 minutes from midnight, I jumped out my dorm window, utilizing Parkour in order to arrive at the back alley right before the clock struck midnight. When I arrived, Junpei was already there. "Yo! So what's this 'Persona' thing?" "A Persona is a figure, usually from mythology, that the user can summon in order to fight off beings humans are incapable of defeating-specifically, demons and Shadows." "Wait, demons are real? And what's a Shadow?" "Yes, demons are real; they're beings formed from religious worship. Shadows, on the other hand, are manifestations of the negativity which we wish to deny. In fact, a Persona is a Shadow, tamed by its user's ego." "What...?" Junpei was completely lost. "That part isn't important, though. What is important is that Persona-users are the only ones able to fight off the Shadows. And demons, for that matter."

"So... wait. You're sayin' I got this awesome power which lets me kill demons and Shadows?" "Damn straight, bro." "This sounds like something out of a video game." 'You have no idea,' I thought, suppressing a smile. "True that. Anyway, you might want to get started, so here." I gave him a sword from my inventory. "Where'd the sword come from? "A magical storage facility. Also, swords are not baseball bats." "Heh... I totally knew that," he replied, chuckling nervously. "Yeah, right. Anyway, get some practice; I'm going back to my dorm to get some sleep."

I jumped in the window and fell asleep pretty much as soon as my head hit the pillow. 'Tomorrow's the Arcana Magician fight. I better get ready,' were my last thoughts before Morpheus claimed me.

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait and short chapter. I just don't have much to say until next chapter.**

**Anyway, Junpei's got his Persona! *claps excitedly* There's also a reference to Persona 4 in here, if you can find it. (Hint: it's in the True Ending.)**

**I've been pretty into Chrono Trigger lately, so I'm thinking about writing a fic for it! I'm going to put up a poll a few minutes after posting this. If you think it's a good idea, vote for it!**

**Also, whether you like this story or not, please review! I'm trying to make this an awesome story, so I need some feedback.**

**Adios, amigos!**


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